All-terrain vehicles (ATVs) are commonly used by outdoor enthusiasts as well as police, fire, wildlife and forestry personnel to traverse various types of terrain. Typical all-terrain vehicles include a frame having engine-driven wheels which are typically four or six in number. One or multiple racks may be provided on the frame to facilitate the carrying of various types of equipment such as hunting or camping equipment, for example, on the ATV.
Because of the types of terrain they are commonly used to traverse, ATVs may occasionally become inadvertently immobilized in mud or other loose soil, sometimes in remote locations which are not readily accessible by trucks and other large vehicles that could otherwise be used to dislodge an ATV. Therefore, the frame of an ATV may be fitted with a winch to facilitate extrication of the immobilized ATV from mud or other soil. In the event that immobilization of the ATV occurs in a wooded area, a winch cable of the winch can be extended from a rotating winch drum provided on a winch frame or bracket which is typically bolted to the ATV frame. The winch cable is typically fastened around a tree, which serves as an anchor as the winch is operated to rotate the winch drum and pull the ATV from the mud or other soil while the winch cable is wound on the winch drum. In the event that immobilization of the ATV occurs in a field or other open area which is completely or largely devoid of trees, a suitable anchor or support to which the winch cable can be attached may not be located within reach of the winch cable.